When revolution came to Cairo, two groups panicked: Hosni Mubarak’s regime—and cable-TV bookers, who needed an infusion of Egypt experts. Qualifications: know Egypt well, ad-lib with aplomb, and speak without an impenetrable accent. Many answered the call. Here are some of the most omnipresent.

It takes more than a hit movie to disrupt the social pillars that have stood at Harvard for 200 years. But with "The Social Network" up for best picture and seven other Oscars next Sunday, there are signs of life imitating art imitating life on campus.

Not likely. The number of inmates who escape or go AWOL from prison has plummeted—even as the total correctional population has surged 68 percent, to 2.3 million. John Moriarty, inspector-general of the Texas criminal-justice system, explains.

Nothing inspires a gold rush quite like, well, gold. Since July the precious metal has spiked to more than $1,300 an ounce—a rally on top of a longer rally dating to 2002, when the price was below $300.

The idea that less is more has long held true in the arts. In the world of gadgets, not so much. Each year’s crop of products is weighted down with more features, more menu options, more, more, more. Apart from this trend stands a little video camera called the Flip.

With the consumer price index flatlining, economists are watching warily for signs of deflation. The Fed said on Aug. 10 it would buy Treasury bonds to ward off fears that the recovery is stalling, which could bring falling wages and prices.